Category Archives: Keith Hernandez Collection

Never quite getting the credit he deserves, Keith Hernandez was a stellar player for 17 major league seasons.

Probably most well known for his amazing defense at first base, Hernandez made playing the position cool long before Don Mattingly did so. Hernandez won 11 Gold Glove awards for being the best defensive first baseman in the National League. 11 trophies during 17 seasons is extremely impressive as it shows just how consistent ‘Mex’ was at the hot corner.

Hernandez was also a league Most Valuable Player in 1979 when he played for the Cardinals. Along with a Gold Glove award and his first of five All-star selections, Hernandez was also extraordinary on offense that year. He batted .344 while collecting 210 hits, ripping 48 doubles, driving in 105 runs and scoring 111 runs as well. A perfectly well-rounded season and one certainly worthy of being tagged as the MVP!!!

The 1990 baseball season was Keith Hernandez’s final season in the big leagues.

And while his Fleer baseball card shows him sporting his New York Mets uniform, he actually capped his career in Cleveland playing for the Indians.

The end was not favorable – Hernandez played in just 43 games for ‘The Tribe’ and did very little offensively. He hit .200 in those 43 contests and collected 26 hits while driving in 8 runs and scoring 7 times.

While it would have been more fitting to feature Hernandez in an Indians uniform, I am happy to have one more card of him on my checklist that features him as a Met.

And yes, that is Shea Stadium in the background. It’s always neat to see the old dugouts…